MacFarlane as Oscar host offers element of surprise

Wednesday

Oct 3, 2012 at 12:01 AMOct 3, 2012 at 12:30 PM

Seth MacFarlane is best-known for his vocal talents and raunchy sense of humor - not necessarily in that order. So the idea that the creator of the Family Guy series and the host of the Charlie Sheen roast on Comedy Central was tapped to headline the 2013 Oscar telecast is a bit shocking.

Seth MacFarlane is best-known for his vocal talents and raunchy sense of humor — not necessarily in that order.

So the idea that the creator of the Family Guy series and the host of the Charlie Sheen roast on Comedy Central was tapped to headline the 2013 Oscar telecast is a bit shocking.

But the surprise factor was exactly what Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, the show’s producers, were seeking.

Noting that he has been a fan of MacFarlane’s diverse talents for years, Zadan said: “There are certain people you could announce today, and you would know exactly what that show would be. The fact that you don’t know really gives the television viewing audience an opportunity to discover the show when they see it.”

The opportunity to host the 85th annual Academy Awards on Feb. 24 also surprised MacFarlane, who scored big at the box office during the summer with the bawdy comedy Ted, which he co-wrote and directed; he also voiced the foulmouthed stuffed bear that is the animated lead.

“It’s a very specific ceremony with a very specific tone,” MacFarlane said of the Oscars. “The challenge will be to keep it funny, keep it lively and stay true to what it is I do — but, at the same time, adapt to the tone of this event. It’s a challenge, but I’m looking forward to it.”

MacFarlane has long been a man of contradictions. The 38-year-old has had an immensely successful TV career as the creator, writer and primary voice talent for the animated series Family Guy, in its 11th season, in addition to American Dad and The Cleveland Show.

He signed a deal with 20th Century Fox TV in 2008 for reportedly $100 million. His comedy in those shows centers more on 13-year-old-boy bathroom humor and Star Wars riffs than sophisticated joke-telling.

MacFarlane, a classically trained singer, also has a side career as a musical performer. He put out his first album of big-band standards, Music Is Better Than Words, last year and has played sold-out shows at Carnegie Hall and London’s Royal Albert Hall.

His recent success on the big screen with Ted — about a talking bear and his “bromance” with his owner, played by Mark Wahlberg — earned Hollywood insider status for a guy who used to be regarded as simply on the outskirts poking fun.

Beyond his hosting duties on Comedy Central, the 2010 Writers Guild Awards and the recent season premiere of Saturday Night Live, plus guest appearances on the Bill Maher and Jimmy Kimmel talk shows, MacFarlane has never appeared in any of his productions. That hasn’t stopped him from gaining a tremendous following among a specific demographic — mainly young men 13 to 28. (He has 2.8?million followers on Twitter.)

Yet it remains to be seen whether that demographic — not a big follower of the Oscars — will tune in to see him and whether traditional Oscar watchers — mostly an older audience — will know who he is or embrace his trademark irreverent humor.

“We think that Seth does have a brand, and it’s a brand that will grow,” Meron said. “The Oscars are the perfect platform to have that brand explode. We think it’s mutually beneficial all the way around.”

Through the years, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has struggled to draw a younger audience and has experimented with different hosts in hopes of reaching one.One of its most recent attempts — pairing actors Anne Hathaway and James Franco to headline Hollywood’s biggest night of the year in 2011 — failed to produce better ratings, and the actors’ hosting abilities were widely criticized.

During the 2013 broadcast, MacFarlane hopes to walk a fine line between reverence for the night’s proceedings and the integration of his brand of comedy. Ted won’t make an appearance, and guest spots from Family Guy characters Stewie and Peter Griffin are unlikely.

“There are instances in the past where a host has tried to personalize the show too much and integrate it with their own brand too much, and I don’t think that necessarily works,” MacFarlane said. “It’s about the Oscars; it’s not about you.” An accomplished cartoonist who has been drawing characters since he was a child, MacFarlane attended the Rhode Island School of Design, where his senior thesis, Life of Larry, became the inspiration for Family Guy.

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